Apparatus for drying copra.



C. POMBO & T. DEL CASAL. APPARATUS FOR DRYING COPRA. APPLICATION FILEDMAR. 28. 1914.

Patented May 25, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1.

HE NORRIS PETERS 60., FHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D, C.

c. POM BO & T. DEL CASAL.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING COPRA.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, I914.

Patented May 25, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTD-LITHO. WASHINGTON, D C

C. POMBO & T. DEL CASAL.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING COPRA.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 1914.

Patented May 25, 1915 4 SHEETS SHEET 3.

HE NORKIS PETERS 60., PHOTO L HOH WASHINGTON. D.

0. PQMBO 62 T. DEL CASAL.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING COPRA.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1914- LML3 gWuW/bbw. wi fwzwa l'wwwm ms THENORRIS PETERS c0. PHGTO-LITHQ.. WASHINGTON, D d I tiTATflENT FFTQ CARLOSPOMBO AND TORIBIO DEL CASAL, OF MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

ATPPARATUS 330B DRYING COPBA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CAnLos PoMBo and TonreroDEL OASAL, citizens of the United States, residing at Manila, in theIsland of Luzon, Philippine Islands, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Copra; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to apparatus for drying copra, and has forits purpose to provide a means whereby large quantities of cocoanut maybe treated in a single operation, and wherein all of the cocoanuts willbe subjected to uniform temperature throughout the treatment.

The invention has for its further purpose to construct an apparatuswhich will be of simple design; which will be comparatively inexpensive;one comprising a few parts which are easily arranged and which may bereadily assembled and disassembled; and one whose operation will notrequire any special skill on the parts of the attendants.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafterdisclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which like numerals designate like parts in all theviews :Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatuscomplete, and showing the same in position of operation; Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, and showing the coprasupporting carriage withdrawn; Fig. 3 is a rear end elevational view,partly broken away, and showing the air regulating valve; Fig. 1 is atransverse sectional view, partly in elevation, of the apparatus; Fig. 5is a horizontal sectional view, illustrating the arrangement of one tierof steam conducting pipes; and Fig. 6 is a similar View, illustratingthe lowermost tier of said pipes.

Referring to the construction in detail, the apparatus consists of asuitable casing 1 constructed preferably of metal, and provided at oneend with a hinged door 2 adapted to be secured in closed positionthrough the medium of any suitable securing means, such, for instance,as that type of means employed for securing the doors of safes, or theheads of digesters. At its rear end, the casing 1 is provided with ahood 3 that communicates with a flue or stack 4:, and said stack isprovided with a sliding valve 5 for damping purposes.

The casing 1 is adapted to provide a closed heating chamber, and hassupported therein a plurality of banks or series of steam conductingpipes 7 and 8, that are mounted, each bank on a pair of rails or bars 9of angle iron construction, and which bars are in turn mounted on therear wall of the casing through the medium of brackets 10, and supportedat their forward ends by braces projecting from the side walls of thecasing. Each tier or bank of pipes 7 rests upon its respective pair ofsupport ing rails or bars 9 in the manner shown, and by reason of thismanner of supporting the pipes, there are provided clearances betweenthe respective banks of pipes and these spaces are designed to receivethe shelves or trays that holds the cocoanuts ready for treatment.

Each bank or tier of pipes 7 is arranged in zigzag formation, as shownin Fig. 5, and at their forward ends 11 the several pipe tiers areconnected to communicate with a distributing pipe 12, and said pipe 12is connected with a steam supply pipe 13 that leads to the steamgenerating plant. A controlling valve 14 is mounted on the pipe 13 andis adapted for regulating the steam delivered to the pipes 7 as will beunderstood. At their opposite ends 15, the several pipe tiers aresimilarly connected to communicate with a common pipe 16 that leads toan outlet pipe 17 having a regulating valve 1.8. The outlet end of thepipe 17 leads into a receptacle 19 and from the receptacle the water ofcondensation may be returned to the steam generating plant, as will bereadily understood.

The lowermost tier or bank of pipes 8 is arranged with the severalelements thereof in vertical relation as distinct from having the samehorizontally disposed, as with the pipe tiers 7; the purpose whereofbeing that the accumulated water due to steam condensation will collectin said pipe tier 8 and be held therein for the maximum period torecover the heat from such water of condensation before its delivery tothe receptacle 19 through the outlet pipe 17. It will be furtherunderstood, of course, that the pipe chamber through the medium of asuitable carriage, or truck, which consists of vertically disposed endbars 20 and 21 connected by trays or shelves 22 in the manner shown inFig. 2, and said shelves are reinforced intermediate their ends each bya pair of angle bars 23. The carriage is mounted on suitable rollers 24:journaled on the endbars 20 and 21, and said rollers are adapted totravel on tracks 25 which extend within the heating chamber for its fulllength (see Figs. 5 and 6), and without said chamber for substantiallythe length of the carriage itself (see Figs. 1 and 2). The oppositesides of each shelf 22 are extended, or formed with ledges 26 that areadapted to ride upon ledges 27 secured to the side walls of the casing.And when said carriage is completely housed within the heating chamber,the ledges 27 serve as supporting means for the shelves containing thecocoanuts. The projecting portions'of the ledges 26 of the severalshelves have'the further function of providing a close fit between theseveral shelves and the walls of the heating chamber, thus dividing theapparatus while in operation into a plurality of substantiallyindependent-and superposed chambers. The means for moving the carriageinto and out of the heating chamber consists of a shaft 2 1 journaled inthe casing and having with in the casing a pair of pinions 25' that meshwith a pair of racks 26 secured to the lowermost shelf 22 of thecarriage. A pinion 27, mounted on one end of theshaft 2 1 meshes with apinion 28 on a shaft 29 that is journaled in the casing through themedium of a bracket 30*. A manipulating crank 31 is carried by the shaft29 for actuating the rack engaging pinion 25 to move the carriage. v

The alternate end portions of the several shelves of thecarriage haveprojecting portions 28 and 29 adapted to abut against the door 2 of thechamber and the rear end wall 30 of the chamber. With this arrangement,the rear end of the carriage is prevented from abutting against said endwall 30, and the door 2 closing against the shelf extensions 28 (seeFig. 1) provides communication between the respective independentchambers, and thus brings the several chambers into inter-communicationforming a circuitous path or channelway.- This channelwaycommunicates-directly with the flue 6 through the hood 3 for thecarrying off of the heated air.

As disclosed to advantage in Figs. 1 and 2 the tiers or banks of pipes 7and 8 terminate at their forward ends a slight distance from the door 2,thereby providing therebetween a space for the accommodation of thestandards 20 and extensions 28 of the carriage when the same is inposition within the casing. After the cocoanuts have been sufiicientlydried, the door 2 of the casing is opened and the carriage withdrawn,over the tracks 25 by action of the crank handle 31 and associatedmechanism, until the rear standards 21- of said carriage encounter thebraces 60 and forward ends'll of the pipes'7. The carriage is thusprevented from beingwithdrawn entirely from the casing; but, as shown inFig. 2, can be moved to a position where the cocoanuts or other materialtreated may be readily and conveniently removed from the shelves 22 land fresh material substituted to undergo similar treatment.

The rear end wall 30 of the heating chamher is provided at its lowerportion with a its respective opening 31 and moved across the same fromthe direction of the apex to the base thereof,,and thereby regulates theamount of air admitted. The plate 32 is adapted to be operated throughthe medium of a hand turning wheel 36' mounted on a threaded bar 37 thathas screw engagement with its support 38, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.The threaded bar 37 is provided with a head 61 hearing against a flange62 formed on the valve plate 32, and the head 61 is arranged to lie in asocket 63 in a plate 64c secured to the flange 62 by bolts 65 orotherwise. Itjw-illbeunderstood that the head 61 turns with the bar 37,when the latter is manipulated by'the wheel 36, and the socket 63 formsa bearing for the same, In opening the valves to secure greater airsupply the wheel 36 is operated to turn the bar 37 in a left-handdirection,-whereby the latter is moved to the left through the support38 drawing thereafter the valve plate 32 through the head 61, plate 64,bolts 65 and flange 62. When it is desired to reduce the air supply theshaft, through the hand wheel36, is'moved to the right whereupon thehead 61 bears directly against the flange 62 and carries the valveplate- 32 before it.

Should the apparatus be placed higher than the water line of the steamgenerator, open the steam valve of the pipe connecting with the bottomof the boiler, and the banks of steam pipes inside the apparatus will bekept full of steam continually and the condensed steam passed to thegenerator boiler, Should the exhaust steam pipe be connected to deliverinto the receptacle 19, care must be taken to drain the condensed steamwhereby to avoid the lowering of the temperature. V? hen the evaporationbegins, the incoming air valve should be regulated to avoid lowering ofthe temperature, and to establish the proper circulation of air throughthe circuitous passageway in order to absorb the mixture and draw offthe steam which is passed through the flue.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spiritof our invention, and therefore we do not wish to be limited to suchfeatures except as may be required by the claims.

Ne claim 1. In a copra drying apparatus, the combination of a closedcasing, a plurality of banks of steam conducting pipes mounted withinthe casing and disposed in spaced and superposed relation, a carriagehaving a plurality of superposed shelves adapted to enter the spacesbetween said superposed banks of pipes, and means for moving thecarriage into and out of said casing.

2. In a copra drying apparatus, the combination of a closed casingproviding a heat ing chamber, a carriage having a plurality ofsuperposed shelves movable into and out of said chamber, a plurality ofsteam conducting pipes mounted in the casing and disposed above andbeneath said shelves, a rack carried by the carriage, and a pinionjournaled on said casing and adapted to engage with said rack for movingsaid carriage into and out of the casing.

S. In a copra drying apparatus, the combination of a closed casingproviding a heating chamber, a carriage having a plurality of superposedshelves movable into and out of said chamber, said shelves having theirrespective alternate ends extended whereby to provide a tortuous passagebetween the several shelves and the casing when the carriage is in saidcasing, and a plurality of steam conducting pipes mounted in the cas ingand disposed above and beneath said shelves.

4. In a copra drying apparatus, the combination of a closed casinghaving supporting ledges mounted on the side walls thereof, a carriagehaving a plurality of superposed shelves movable into and out of saidchamber, each of said shelves having projecting side portions adapted torest upon said ledges to support the shelves, a plurality of steamconducting pipes arranged above and beneath said shelves in the casing,and supporting bars for said steam pipes mounted in said casing.

5. In a copra drying apparatus, the combination of a closed casinghaving supporting ledges mounted on the side walls thereof, a carriagehaving a plurality of super posed shelves movable into and out of saidchamber, each of said shelves having projecting side portions adapted torest upon said ledges to support the shelves, and the respectivealternate ends of said shelves being extended whereby to provide atortuous passage between the several shelves and the casing when thecarriage is in sald cas ng, and a plurality of steam conducting pipesmounted in the casing and disposed above and beneath said shelves.

In testimony whereof, we affiX our signatures, in presence of twowitnesses.

CARLOS POMBO. TORIBIO DEL OASAL.

Witnesses:

A. GOMEZ SEWARD, ALBINO Z. SYLIP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

